talkmagic.co.uk

I expect the greatest magicians in history are people you have never hear of!

Hey all

Jean Hugard was meant to be where one of the Mark's was

And as I said.. I was looking for all yoru input so hadto leave thelikes of Marlo, Erdnase etc out so someone would comment back '' Where's he.. and Where's this one?' My plan worked..

Theres only ten spaces... Blaine was just thrown in as I knew people would react..

I was thinking of more.. magicians who have influenced the world of magic and CONTRIBUTED something to it..

Blaine is out of the loop then!!

You're all forgetting the great Wizbit

It was Wizbit who got me into magic in the first place.

I.D wrote:I was thinking of more.. magicians who have influenced the world of magic and CONTRIBUTED something to it..

Blaine is out of the loop then!!

On the contrary... Blaine, I believe, was responsible for being a catalyst and forerunner of the 'new age' generation of magicians, those who realised that magic wasn't geeky or all about 'dudes in tuxedos with white gloves' or 'blokes on stage with lavish props'.

Personally, I would say that aside from his heroics, Blaine does indeed deserve at least a mention, and the all-important question of how he fits into your list has been answered by your definition of your post's purpose.

seige wrote:

I.D wrote:I was thinking of more.. magicians who have influenced the world of magic and CONTRIBUTED something to it..

Blaine is out of the loop then!!

Personally, I would say that aside from his heroics, Blaine does indeed deserve at least a mention, and the all-important question of how he fits into your list has been answered by your definition of your post's purpose.

Exactly.. I do think that Blaine is not really in the top ten magicians of all time in terms of ability.. but my point was really regarding the magicians who have influenced the magic scene and is why he cam in at number 10.

Being probably the most well known magician in the world behind Houdini certainly accounts for something. And while we all do not favour his latest quests for success, he has done something remarkable in the 90's as you say, in turning the tables on the stereotypical image of magic.

I.D wrote:Being probably the most well known magician in the world behind Houdini certainly accounts for something

It's been claimed that Houdini wasn't all that good as a magician compared to his contemporaries. It was his self publicity, exposure of fake mediums and stunts which made his name and kept him in the public eye for so long.

I will try to narrow it down a bit. Let us try close up magic only. Naturally I consider myself to be the best of all time in this group and I do find it patently obvious that this is the case.

However since you may prefer a less biased view of the matter I shall leave myself out of consideration for the moment since I am known for my great humility.

I find the best close up magicians are all dead. No doubt I will soon be among them.

For now however I think my favourites are:

Vernon
Slydini
Goshman
Johhny Paul
Don Alan

I am afraid that is about it. I don't really like anyone else. I suppose out of the living ones Eugene Burger is pretty good but I do think he needs improvement in a couple of areas.

Ricky Jay is not bad I suppose.

However I really can't think of anyone else offhand. 95% of close up magicians bore me to tears because they have no personality or showmanship. This to me is more important than the trick itself.

No. I am afraid that I shall have to go back to admiring myself even if nobody else does.

Personally I would like to see Tommy Cooper in the all time top ten, he made the fluffed trick into an art form, he could make you laugh without doing or saying a thing. The man was an incredible comedian with a wonderful sense of timing and not to forget an highly accomplished magician.He broke all of the barriers, the rules, not to mention the mould.

Rest in peace Tommy, gone but never forgotten

I agree about Tommy Cooper. He should definitely be listed.

Tamariz anyone? he's especial

He must be pretty famous in Spain among the public. I was once demonstrating svengali decks in Dublin when a gaggle of Spanish exhcange students passed by. When they saw me doing magic they all started yelling simultaneously "Tamariz! Tamariz!"

I got the impression that he was the Spanish Paul Daniels. And may God have mercy on his soul.

mark lewis wrote:He must be pretty famous in Spain among the public. I was once demonstrating svengali decks in Dublin when a gaggle of Spanish exhcange students passed by. When they saw me doing magic they all started yelling simultaneously "Tamariz! Tamariz!"

I got the impression that he was the Spanish Paul Daniels. And may God have mercy on his soul.

Juan Tamariz is great! And he is most definitely special. His act always includes a great sense of humour. He is one of Spain's most wellknown magicians.

I don't know too many magicians, but my votes would go to Daryl, Cardini, Jeff McBride, Jean-Pierre Vallarino. Unfortunately I haven't seen Dai Vernon, Ed Marlo...and so on. Hope to soon.

mark lewis wrote:When they saw me doing magic they all started yelling simultaneously "Tamariz! Tamariz!"

Are you sure it wasn't tamaris with an 's', this is actually a spanish word which means 'its up his sleave'

What about Teller from PnT.
Even according to Derren Brown, he's the best at understanding the relationship between theatre and magic.

Not to mention he created the genius routine "Shadows"

Top ten, hmmm, Well (no particular order) Harry Blackstone,Sr., Harry Blackstone, Jr., Fred Kapps, Tony Slydini, Mark Wilson, Howard Thurston, Johnny Thompson, Dai Vernon, Cardini, Jay Marshall would be my list, but to each his own.